Can President Obama and Mitch McConnell overcome bad blood?

Shortly before Thanksgiving, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered a blunt message in a private phone call to President Barack Obama: You won only four out of 120 Kentucky counties and lost many senators’ home states.

McConnell was trying to pointedly warn Obama that mounting a public relations campaign to avert the fiscal cliff could backfire, according to sources familiar with the call.

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It was a moment that exemplified the frosty relationship between two of the most important men in Washington. They’ve rarely met or spoken privately since Obama moved into the Oval Office four years ago. Obama and his team view McConnell as a cold political operator whose main goal has been to see Obama’s defeat — McConnell famously said two years ago that “the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” McConnell believes Obama has shown virtually no interest in bipartisan negotiating or even reaching out to Republicans at all — and refuses to lead on difficult policy disputes.

Now, as Washington lurches towards an economy-shaking budget crisis, the adversarial relationship between the president and the top Republican in the Senate looms over serious deal making on the fiscal cliff. For any tax and spending package to get 60 votes in the Senate, McConnell and Obama will have to agree on something — and so far, it’s not clear if there’s anything that the two men can settle on.

“I cannot imagine how the president of the United States can function without a good, strong relationship with the leader of the minority party in the Senate,” Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), a close McConnell confidant, told POLITICO. “You may be able to run a campaign without that, but you can’t be a good president without that.”

Another senior GOP senator, who asked not to be named, said McConnell views Obama as “unimpressive” and “thinks the president is not up to the job.”

The chill between McConnell and Obama stands in contrast to the clearly more affable relationship Obama enjoys with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). When Obama had to work with McConnell in 2010 on the expiring Bush tax cuts, he dispatched Vice President Joe Biden — who had worked with McConnell for more than two decades in the Senate — to grease the wheels on the bipartisan accord.

Democrats, for their part, privately say McConnell is using his opposition to Obama as a way to boost his own 2014 reelection efforts. McConnell has already made clear how serious he is about that race, hiring Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s campaign manager, building an aggressive operation back home and holding a fundraiser on Nov. 7, the day after the elections.

“It was clear the day after the election that Mitch McConnell is already in full reelection mode and his campaign strategy is to run against the president,” a Democratic aide said. “Nothing has changed.”

Conversations between Obama and McConnell have been few and far between, including just a single one-on-one meeting during the past two years. Shortly before congressional leaders gathered at the White House before Thanksgiving, McConnell reminded the president of his poor performance in Kentucky, which Mitt Romney carried by nearly 24 percentage points, according to sources familiar with the call.

Mitch McConnell may be the most polarized Minority Leader in American history. His only goal was to make Obama "a one term president", NOT the American people. He should resign immediately so someone who actually wants to HELP the American people can take office. What a disgusting, pathetic man.

When the President can begin to add someting meaningful to the coversation regarding spending reforms, some of the bad blood may vanish.

Since so far he has only been willing to play the race and class war, promising a bright future only through increased confiscation of income of the "rich", every effort to thwart the Presidents effort should be made.

It's BS to stand in front of the American people and speak about spending/revenue problems, and then allow your actions to prove your only interested in taking from the rich.

That's class warfare, and the President will lose with the economy and the country the biggest loser.

McConnell is never going to win any personality contests. Frankly, I'm surprised he has any friends in the Senate (if he does). He's a rather odious political operator who has no core convictions but likes to win at any cost. Tea partiers should not allow themselves to be bought off by McConnell, as they did with Hatch. McConnell rubber-stamped every bad idea of Bush/Cheney. McConnell went along with failing to pay for two wars and a big drug program, running up the national debt without qualms. McConnell voted to raise the debt limit countless times, not something endearing to tea partiers. McConnell is a lackey of the 1%, not a man with sweeping political vision. If tea partiers want to make a real difference in the Republican Party, they will target and start knocking off Republican dinosaur leaders like McConnell. By knocking out McConnell in the 2014 Republican primary, tea partiers will not only have their biggest scalp yet, they will guarantee fresh blood in Republican Senate leadership. And if tea partiers are responsible for McConnell's defeat, how much do you want to bet the Senate Republicans won't vote into their leadership position someone more aligned with tea party views?

(R) Senator, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will never GET OVER his hate-filled nonsense about Barack Obama, an intelligent, decent Black man who became President of the United States of America !

Mitch's hate and prejudice nonsense goes too far back into the Kentucky hills of hating others simply because of their color, or their heritage is concerned. Many of the dirt poor Whites who lived in those old Kentucky hills (Mitch's forefathers) didn't like Native Americans, Jews and others right along with their dislikes for Blacks. However, America is changing.... AND ITS ALL FOR THE BETTER !

Many young Kentuckians (after traveling beyond their hills) are appalled by such thoughts, and Mitch's old buddies are DIEING OUT ! Perhaps this is what has men like Mitch McConnell and others in the GOP so afraid... That America's racial dynamics IS CHANGING ! .... And men like Mitch McConnell will soon be a thing of the PAST !

McConnell famously said two years ago that “the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” McConnell believes Obama has shown virtually no interest in bipartisan negotiating

Just look at those 2 statements and it is obvious where the problem lies.... THe prehistoric McConnell has led complete opposition to EVERYTHING - even GOP ideas.

Obama will work for the good of the country - it is time for McConnell to put country first.

McConnell has a firm grip in areas where family trees have few branches...

(R) Senator, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will never GET OVER his hate-filled nonsense about Barack Obama, an intelligent, decent Black man who became President of the United States of America !

Mitch's hate and prejudice nonsense goes too far back into the Kentucky hills of hating others simply because of their color, or their heritage is concerned. Many of the dirt poor Whites who lived in those old Kentucky hills (Mitch's forefathers) didn't like Native Americans, Jews and others right along with their dislikes for Blacks. However, America is changing.... AND ITS ALL FOR THE BETTER !

Many young Kentuckians (after having chances to travel beyond their KY hills) are appalled by such thoughts, and Mitch's old buddies are DIEING OUT ! Perhaps this is what has men like Mitch McConnell and others in the GOP so afraid... That America's racial dynamics IS CHANGING ! .... And men like Mitch McConnell will soon be a thing of the PAST !

obama doesn't want to work with any Republican. obamacare proved that point if anyone missed it. obama has tried to turn the presidency into a dictatorship by bypassing congress at every opportunity he finds. I don't always agree with Sen. McConnell but he is far more honorable than loser harry reid. Sen. McConnell should stand by his principles when dealing with obama because obama doesn't have many principles to worry about.

We want our suffering to stop. Please stop playing politics and campaigning and please start to compromise on spending so that we can stop suffering. Millions of us are hurting. and have been hurting for years now. We are losing houses, losing wives, husbands and families. we nee help not more talk and delays in Washington. You are as much as a obstacle in getting the economy back on track as the Republican are. Now get out there and serve US not your or agenda. We no longer have the time, desire and fortitude for political games. We need spending cuts as much as revenues, maybe even more so, but we need it now. Stop traveling around and talk and clear things up. We need policies to curb spending as badly as we need revenue. Jobs create revenue and we need jobs. We are suffering. It is time to stop making us suffer while you play politics. Get in there and speak to the democrats an republican leaders alike and don't come out to see us, the public, on the campaign trail again, until you work out a deal that satisfies us all. But we are tired and hungry and going homeless. Don't talk to us, talk to the House and Senate.

WE ARE SUFFERING. PLEASE LEAD TO GET THINGS OUR FISCAL POLICIES STRAIGHTEN OUT AND DO IT NOW.

Maybe after Mitch apologizes to the President they can work better together.

Here is a suggestion "I promised the American people to make you a one-term President as my first priority, that was wrong. I am a failure at my job, which is to work for the American people, because I am a partisan hack first. I will learn from my mistakes and begin to work with you to move America forward".

Not likely, but it would be a good start. Since he is doubling down on the stupid obstruction again, expect filibuster reform to make him even more irrelevant than he already is.

McConnell has no interest in the good of the nation. For him, defeating the President of the opposing party is all that matters. He has not compromised on any issue and made it very clear that putting the Black man down is is his number one priority. I feel so sorry for the ignorant haters in Kentucky who vote for this self-serving jerk, who consistently places his party above our nation.

McConnell has been a power-broker to find compromise proposals between Obama and Republicans several times in the past 4 years. These two men do NOT share a common view of how the nation should be organized, regulated, or governed. However, there is little "personal animosity". It is a very different ideological view of wwhere we should be headed as a nation that separates them.

This type of difference is actually easier to overcome. McConnell will be willing to negotiate compromises with Obama, as long as he gets some of what he wants and doesn't give up a fundamental principle. Its like negotiating with a car salesman. He wants all your money for the car, you want to pay $10 for it. Its not that you dislike the salesman, you simply want a price you think is "fair" and meets your needs. He wants the most he can get, and will not lose money on the deal. There is a middle ground where both sides can agree on.

McConnell is your worst enemy if you want to use power to capture all the marbles. But he is a willing participant if you want to find a fair deal. He will work with you to find a compromise. He will bitterly oppose you if you go for all the chips in the pot.

In my opinion McConnell is the typical old southern white racist who keeps his sheet hidden for future use. His first response to our president was one of total contempt for even thinking he could become president and from that point on it`s all down hill. This man lives in his little bubble world that was just rejected by most American`s. If the GOP ever does recover from their ineptness it will not be in the next decade because of old racist beliefs as demonstrated here.